Statement from Mary Anne Potts, editor of National Geographic Adventure, on skier JP Auclair, who was killed in an avalanche on Sept. 29, 2014.

“Our hearts sank when we heard the news that one of our 2014 National Geographic Adventurers of the Year, skier JP Auclair, was killed in an avalanche on Chile’s Mount San Lorenzo in late September 2014 along with fellow skier Andreas Fransson. JP was a visionary athlete who mastered skiing in all of its forms, from urban freeskiing to technical mountain terrain to high mountain powder runs. Through athleticism, product design, filmmaking and philanthropy, he has found a place among the sport’s icons and defined what it means to be an adventurer. Our thoughts go out to the families and friends of all the adventurers lost in the mountains over the past week.”